THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
After a strike threatened the 2022 season, the Major Baseball League has just passed its quarter mark for the year, and many experts' pick, the New York Yankees, are leading the pack. The evergreen Yankees are a favorite across America and their reach is global too, with one of the most famous branded logos in sports – their 'NY' is on the many caps that are worn by fans and fashionistas both. It’s this kind of reach that has led to the MLB coming to the same conclusions that their counterparts in football and basketball, the NFL and NBA, have. Not quite a case of “if you build it, they will come,” but certainly if you market it right and sell enough tickets, the market grows.
The MLB, seeing how the NFL conquered the London market and the NBA also sold out events, followed suit in 2019 when those very same Yankees played their great rivals the Boston Red Sox in a double header at the London Stadium – formerly the Olympic Stadium for the 2012 Games and now home to West Ham United of the English Premier League. Each game, played on a Saturday and Sunday, had 60,000 in attendance, and saw a mammoth 50 runs scored. There was a mix of hardcore fans and curious onlookers, but that’s how you grow a fanbase, right? Well, this was a time before the pandemic, and with crowds that size at a premium over the least two years it gave the league time to assess what could be done to land another home run over the Atlantic.
In early May it was announced that a long-term deal had been struck and that regular season games will again be played in London in 2023, 2024 and 2026. They will be accompanied by other varied events to enhance fan involvement and improve the locals' knowledge of the game.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred released a statement that read: “All aspects of the inaugural MLB games in London were an overwhelming success. It was clear that sports fans in London had a great appetite for baseball and that passion was shared by Mayor Kahn as well as well as the business and media community. We are confident in making a long-term commitment to London and are looking forward to returning to the city with more MLB games, special fan events, and other opportunities to play and watch the game.”
London’s Mayor, Sadiq Khan was clearly full of praise for the new deal, adding, “This long-term partnership with Major League Baseball is ambitious and includes regular season games as well as a legacy program designed to grow the number of Londoners watching and playing baseball at a grassroots level in London.”
Obviously, it’s far too early to know who will be playing in the future games. Two teams had arranged to play before Covid struck – the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs were slated to play their own weekend double but that was scrapped like so many other events. The first major event planned for 2022 is coming soon, when the Home Run Derby X is played at Crystal Palace Park on July 9. This sees a short form of the game played at a frenetic pace with four teams competing over the day. The Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, and Dodgers will be represented by players former players and legends, and the aim of the game is in the title, to score as many home runs as possible, or failing that hitting specific target areas, within their allotted 25 pitches. HRDX, to give the event its formal abbreviation, is not just about the action on field. The whole culture of baseball will be explored with themed food and drink, as well as live DJs and a live performance from London rapper AJ Tracey, to keep everyone entertained.
Starting at Midday and finishing at around 9pm, HRDX will be a hit, literally as those in attendance can even have a go themselves with batting cages and other participation opportunities.
